Julius Caesar Act II Test

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Selection Test The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Act II William Shakespeare

Pupil’s Edition page 798

Comprehension (40 points; 8 points each) On the line provided, write the letter of the best answer to each of the following items. ____ 1. Brutus’s soliloquy reveals his true feelings about a. Caesar c. his servant b. Antony d. his wife ____ 2. Caesar’s initial decision to stay home rather than to go to the Senate is a response to a. the omens he perceives b. the words of Decius c. his desire not to appear ambitious d. the concerns of Calphurnia ____ 3. Caesar’s conflict about whether to go to the Senate is resolved by a. Calphurnia changing her mind and telling Caesar to go with Antony b. the augurers telling him it is safe to go to the Senate c. Decius giving him a positive interpretation of Calphurnia’s dream d. Antony arriving to take Caesar to the Senate ____ 4. Caesar disregards the omens for all of the following reasons except a. he does not trust the augurers b. he does not want to appear cowardly c. he feels fate is inescapable d. he feels invincible ____ 5. Brutus compares Caesar to a newly hatched serpent in order to show that Caesar is a. Rome’s greatest leader b. corrupt and destructive c. capable of becoming a tyrant d. ineffective but honorable Literary Element: Elements of Drama (10 points; 5 points each) On the line provided, write the letter of the best answer to each of the following items. ____ 6. When he arrives to take Caesar to the Senate, Decius is characterized as a. honest and patient b. petty and angry c. manipulative and persuasive d. affable but cynical ____ 7. Shakespeare uses Calphurnia to build suspense about what will happen in all of the following ways except a. urging Caesar not to go to the Senate b. recounting all the disturbing omens c. suggesting that Caesar pretend he is ill d. relating that she dreamt Caesar was assassinated

140

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Elements of Literature

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Cast of Characters (20 points; 4 points each) Match the description on the left to the character on the right. Write the letter of the appropriate character on the line provided. ____ 8. states that “cowards die many times before their deaths”

a. Artemidorus

____ 9. writes a letter warning Caesar of the conspiracy

b. Cicero

____ 10. finally agrees to join the conspiracy

c. Portia

____ 11. senator whom Brutus refuses to ask to join the conspirators

d. Caesar

____ 12. wife of Brutus

e. Brutus

Written Response (30 points) 13. In Scene 1, lines 63–69, Brutus says: Between the acting of a dreadful thing And the first motion, all the interim is Like a phantasma, or a hideous dream. The genius and the mortal instruments Are then in council, and the state of a man, Like to a little kingdom, suffers then The nature of an insurrection. How do these lines reflect both Brutus’s inner conflict and the outer conflict that builds in Act II? Write your answer on the lines provided, and use at least two examples from the play to support your ideas. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________

Elements of Literature

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141

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d. (Partial credit might be given. While Lomov speaks formally at first, he soon loses his composure and shouts angrily at Natalya about who owns the Meadows. His manner doesn’t remain formal for long.) 17. Responses will vary, but students should include a definition of irony and explain how their choice fits the definition. A sample response to each choice follows. a. This is an example of dramatic irony because the audience knows something important that Natalya does not know. If Natalya had known that Lomov intended to propose to her, she would probably have weighed the consequences before she started arguing with him about the land. b. This is an example of verbal irony because there is a contrast between what her father said and what he meant. When Natalya’s father said that a merchant had come for his goods, Natalya expected to see a trader. However, in fact, Lomov was acting like a merchant who had come to inspect his goods—in this case, Natalya, whom he intended to “own” by marrying her. c. This is an example of situational irony because if the families have high regard for each other, one would expect Lomov and

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Collection 12: Ambition or Honor? The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Act I SELECTION TEST, page 138 Comprehension 1. d 2. b

3. d

4. c

5. a

12. c

13. a

Literary Element 6. b 7. c 8. d Cast of Characters 9. d 10. b 11. e

Written Response 14. Responses will vary. In a model response, students should fulfill the following criteria: • demonstrate understanding of the prompt • clearly describe how Cassius’ view of the storm’s meaning varies from Cicero’s view, and offer a reasonable alternative interpretation of the storm

200

Formal Assessment

Natalya to get along well. Instead, they begin fighting over a piece of land—the same land that apparently the two families had a dispute over many years ago. d. (This is not a supportable response.) 18. Responses will vary. In a model response, students should fulfill the following criteria: • demonstrate understanding of the prompt • make a clear and reasoned argument about the prognosis of a marriage between Lomov and Natalya • support their ideas with references to details in the play. For example: • Both Lomov and Natalya are stubborn, excitable, and unable to have a calm discussion about the ownership of the land. They would likely be in continual conflict with each other. • Lomov needs a strong, decisive wife to motivate him, and Natalya seems to fit this description. A marriage between them might be happy if Lomov allows himself to follow Natalya’s lead. However, based on his reaction to the land, he is unlikely to swallow his opinions, and so the chance for further conflict is greater than the chance for future happiness.

• support their ideas with at least two examples from the play. For example: • Cassius sees the storm as a call to end Caesar’s tyranny. It is the gods’ harsh commentary on Caesar’s growing ambition and a warning that a horrible disaster will descend if Caesar isn’t stopped. • Another reading of the storm might be that Cassius’ plan to destroy Caesar is the eruption that will upset the order of the state.

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Act II SELECTION TEST, page 140 Comprehension 1. a 2. d

3. c

4. a

5. c

Literary Element 6. c 7. d

Elements of Literature

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Cast of Characters 8. d 9. a 10. e

Print 11. b

12. c

Written Response 13. Responses will vary. In a model response, students should fulfill the following criteria: • demonstrate understanding of the prompt • clearly explain how the lines reflect both Brutus’s inner and outer conflicts • support their ideas with at least two examples from the play. For example: • Brutus is physically unwell and unable to sleep at the beginning of the act due to his inner turmoil over whether to kill Caesar. He is caught in a waking nightmare. • In the same way, turmoil exists in the heavens as the conspirators make plans to upset civil order. • The insurrection will culminate with Caesar’s murder followed by civil unrest.

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Act III SELECTION TEST, page 142 Comprehension 1. d 2. b

3. c

4. a

5. d

Cast of Characters 8. b 9. d 10. a

11. c

12. e

Literary Element 6. b 7. a

Written Response 13. Responses will vary. In a model response, students should fulfill the following criteria: • demonstrate understanding of the prompt • clearly describe the ways in which Antony turns the crowd into a mob of rioters • support their ideas with at least three specific examples from the selection. For example: • Antony repeats the phrase “he is an honorable man” until it appears ridiculous in contrast with the nobility of the slain Caesar. • Antony teases the crowd with Caesar’s will, appealing to their curiosity and selfinterest. • Antony breaks down emotionally before the crowd, which has the effect of showing him to be loyal and loving, while Brutus, who has coolly delivered his speech, seems selfish, unfeeling, and calculating.

Elements of Literature

• Antony holds up Caesar’s torn cloak as a way of showing how excessively violent the murder was; Antony also treats the cloak as if it were Caesar himself. • Antony reads the will, using it to suggest what a good ruler Caesar was—making the crowd finally turn on the conspirators.

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Act IV SELECTION TEST, page 144 Comprehension 1. b 2. a

3. a

4. d

5. d

Literary Element 6. d 7. c 8. c Language Link 9. b 10. d

11. a

Written Response 12. Responses will vary. In a model response, students should fulfill the following criteria: • demonstrate understanding of the prompt • clearly present a view of the ghost’s dramatic function and foreshadowing (see Act II, Scene 1) • support their ideas with at least two examples from the play. For example: • The ghost’s appearance could be taken to represent the vengeance that Antony has sworn he will get for Caesar. • It can be understood as Brutus’s troubled conscience rather than as a literal ghost. • The ghost scene serves to demonstrate, as the storm of the first act does, the displeasure of the gods with the conspirators’ actions.

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Act V SELECTION TEST, page 146 Comprehension 1. a 2. d

3. c

4. b

5. c

Cast of Characters 8. b 9. e 10. a

11. c

12. d

Literary Element 6. b 7. d

Formal Assessment

201